The present invention relates to a sliding panel, suited to serve as a sliding door or window supportable in horizontal guides in an associated frame, having received within its lower horizontal extent at least one fitting containing a wheel or slide element for horizontal displacement of the sliding panel in a slide position in said horizontal guides. Each wheel is rotatably mounted in its associated fitting about a first axis arranged in a plane transversely of the main plane of the sliding panel. Each fitting is pivotable relative to the sliding panel about a second axis at right angles to the plane of the first axis, and the sliding panel is readjustable about the second axis by lateral displacement of the sliding panel towards and from a support position with support via sealing elements against the frame and against the support panel respectively, by displacement of the sliding panel from and to a stable sliding position at a lateral distance from the frame and the support panel respectively.
By the term xe2x80x9csliding doorxe2x80x9d shall be understood conventional sliding doors for housing, offices, industrial locations, that is to say doors indoors as well as out-doors but also sliding doors for special purposes, such as fireproof doors, cupboard doors and the like. Correspondingly there shall be understood by the term xe2x80x9csliding windowxe2x80x9d conventional, vertical, external sliding windows for housing, offices, industrial locations, and the like, but also external, obliquely extending sliding windows for use as roof windows or the like plus internal sliding windows for use in connection with special rooms of different kinds.
It is usual that sliding doors and sliding windows are supported in adjacent guides via wheels and/or slide elements, which can be arranged at the upper end of the sliding panel and/or at its lower end. It is usual to employ rails or similar slide surfaces as guides for controlling the wheels or the slide elements in the intended manner relative to the support panel.
Furthermore it is usual in connection with sliding windows and sliding doors to employ sealing elements in the form of sliding strips for forming a seal between the sliding panel and the support panel. Such sliding strips easily cause great inertia between sliding panel and support panel during displacement of the sliding panel relative to the support panel and can have a tendency to form little effective sealing in the desired sealing position.
A solution according to DE-A-2 941 109 is regarded as the closest prior art in the matter, and comprises a pivot-slide fitting for wheels which supports sliding windows and sliding doors in an outwardly pivoted sliding position or in an inwardly pivoted support position. The pivotal movement takes place on lifting and subsequently lowering the sliding panel about an unstable dead centre from two respective stable-outer positions, which constitute the respective sliding position and support position of the sliding panel. In this connection the plane through the second pivotal axis is coincident with the radial plane through the wheels. In the known solution, the weight of the sliding panel is utilised as the force to ensure the sliding panel in place in opposite outer positions. One is hereby dependent upon a sliding force across the sliding panel in order to be able to accomplish the pivoting from outer position to outer position.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,570,563 there is shown a similar pivoting about of the sliding panel between stable sliding position and stable support position via an intermediate upper dead centre position.
From U.S. Pat. No. 2,199,182 a solution is known where by means of a sliding arm the pivot pin of the support wheels can be swung about between a position inclined obliquely inwards and a position inclined obliquely outwards for equivalent readjustment of the sliding panel between a stable support position and a stable sliding position. In this case also the sliding panel must be lifted and thereafter lowered about an intermediate dead centre between the two outer positions.
It is an object of the invention to be able to utilise the weight of the sliding panel as a force for readjusting the sliding panel in the one pivotal direction
It is another object of the invention to forcibly guide the sliding panel into place in an unstable support position by way of separate means, so that the sliding panel can be readjusted in an easy manner from unstable support position to stable sliding position by simple means, that is to say by the weight of the sliding panel.
In connection with lifting and lowering of the sliding panel, an aim according to the invention is to make oneself independent of a dead centre between the outer positions of the sliding panel.
According to the invention a special aim is to combine a forcible guiding of the sliding panel with a barring of the sliding panel in the support position, at the same time as there is exerted a controlled clamping between sliding panel and casement via intermediate packings More specifically an aim is to be able to displace the sliding panel relatively unhindered in a released, stable sliding position, while a sealing engagement is activated between sliding panel and support panel via intermediate sealing elements in the intended support and sealing position, in a controlled, accurate, forcibly guided manner.
The sliding panel of the present invention is characterised in that, independently of the respective position of the sliding panel relative to the horizontal guide, the second axis is always laterally offset in a direction which faces away from said frame relative to a central vertical plane through the associated guide, and preferably also relative to a middle radial plane through the associated wheel or slide element. The sliding panel is arranged to attain a sliding position at a lower level than the closed position. Further a manually actuable locking means, which forceably bars the sliding panel in its support position in a weight loaded, unstabilised manner, is arranged to release a combined downwards and sidewise movement of the sliding panel from its upper unstabilised support position towards its lower weight stabilised sliding position. Upon release of the sliding panel from its closed position, the weight of the sliding panel is arranged to be loaded on each of the lower wheels or slide elements through the second axis, causing movement of the sliding panel from the upper closed position to the lower sliding position.
It is possible to allow the support wheels to run obliquely disposed from below and outwards both in the sliding position and in the support position, that is to say inclining in the support position slightly obliquely outwards and in the sliding position inclining more severely obliquely outwards. This can for example be achieved by allowing an axis through the radial central plane of the support wheel to coincide with the second axis. A break point can hereby be ensured between sliding panel and support wheel, that is to say an unstable wheel position in the support position, where the weight of the sliding panel can exert a turning moment towards the wheel in the support position and ensure that the wheel is tilted around about a tilting axis on the associated guide, while the sliding panel is equivalently tilted around about the second axis.
However it is preferred that the central radial plane of the support wheel, in the support position of the slidimg panel, coincides with a vertical plane through the associated guide. In its support position the weight of the sliding panel can hereby be transferred vertically through the support wheels. By locating the second axis laterally displaced relative to the vertical plane through the associated guide, a moment arm between the second axis and the vertical plane through the associated guide will exert a constant turning moment towards the support wheel and ensure that the sliding panel is forcibly guided from support position to sliding position by means of its weight.
According to the invention a relatively simple solution is produced, where a controlled side displacement of the sliding panel is ensured relative to, that is to say towards and from the support panel for easy readjustment of the sliding panel from sliding position to support position or seal-forming position.
Purely as to use it is an advantage that the sliding panel is readily swingable, that is to say automatically swingable from support position to sliding position, so that the sliding panel will be in readiness for the sliding movement, immediately the barring engagement is removed In other words with a simple removal of the barring engagement, one can ensure, as a result of the unstable position of the sliding panel in the support position and the weight loading which is exerted from the sliding panel towards the support wheels, an automatic readiness of the sliding panel for sliding movement immediately the barring engagement of the locking means ceases. Correspondingly it is an advantage that the forcible guidance of the sliding panel sideways from sliding position to support position can take place by readjusting the locking means from inactive to active position, since one can thereby achieve positively the intended locking position at the same time as an intended, controlled sealing abutment is ensured between sliding panel and frame.
By a simple actuation of the locking means it is consequently possible to readjust the sliding panel between the support position, in which effective sealing between the sliding panel and the support panel is ensured, and the released sliding position by means of the weight of the sliding panel. This can be guaranteed in a first instance by arranging a horizontal axis at the upper end of the sliding panel, that is to say in a case where the sliding panel is suspended in a hanging position in an upper guide, or alternatively, in a second instance by arranging the horizontal axis at the lower end of the sliding panel, that is to say in a case where the sliding panel rests with its whole weight against a lower guide. It will also be possible to arrange a first horizontal axis at the lower end of the sliding panel and a second horizontal axis at the upper end of the sliding panel, for example by employing a wheel support at the lower end of the sliding panel and a slide element support at the upper end of the sliding panel or a wheel support at both the upper and lower ends. Various joint arm mechanisms can be considered for use and as required differing or largely similar mechanisms at upper and lower ends of the sliding element.
However a solution is preferred for the sake of simplicity which is characterised in that the horizontal axis is arranged at the lower end of the sliding panel on or at the side of the sliding panel which faces away from the sliding panel. In other words a horizontal axis is preferred only at the lower end of the sliding panel, while the upper end is more or less freely moveable.
In the last-mentioned, preferred construction the advantage is obtained that the sliding panel is forcibly guided laterally outwards by way of especially simple means at the same time as it is lowered somewhat downwards relative to the support position, mainly as a result of the unstable support position and the weight of the sliding panel, but if necessary also with the possibility for lateral pushing out of the sliding panel by means of the inherent elasticity of the sealing elements. By way of various means it will also be possible to forcibly guide the upper end of the sliding panel in a direction laterally outwards from the sliding panel.